We caught up with Perth-based artist Gill Cordiner to discuss her delightful enamelled designs!

Your beautiful jewellery is so vibrant and colourful! How did you find your niche?
I think I found a niche because enamelling is not such a common medium and as I am a trained fine artist I have a different perspective than most jewellers. My use of whimsical shapes and strong colour used in a contemporary way makes my work unique.

We chatted to Andrew of chic Coast label Farmer Drew about his eco-friendly fairtrade products...

Your beautiful baskets and fouta towels are both chic and practical. How did you find your niche?
When I arrived in Noosa I went regularly to the Noosa Farmers Market and noticed something odd. While the locals and visitors were supporting the local farmers and growers by buying home grown, spray free, organic, handmade etc, they were still...

We caught up with dynamic mother & daughter duo Vanessa and Glynnis of Pennybright Studios to discover more about their creative business.

Your creations are so unique! How did you get started?
After working with polymer clay for many years, we were looking for something we could do together. We had always been a fan of fabric art and were both collecting inspiring fabric creations on Pinterest! So we decided to take ourselves on a fabric adventure where we could combine our love of vintage textiles with polymer clay, paint and other media to create unique and very special animals...

Many people believe having a logo is enough to define the brand identity of a company, but it's actually much more complex than that.

Great brands are easy to recognise, their mission is clear, and they have a ridiculously high level of customer loyalty (think Apple). When there is a strong successful brand identity, the consumer can detect the brand without having to see the logo.

We've put together a checklist to get you started with refining your brand identity...

We caught up with Tina of TRaewyn Earthy Artisan Jewellery to chat about her Victorian-based creative business.

Your whimsical creations are so very beautiful. What inspires you?
That is a hard question, simply because so many things inspire me! I have a section on my website where I wrote this: "TRaewyn Jewelry is inspired by Gaia, by Mother Earth, The many different Goddess's, The Wild Woman and the Love of the Earth, the Forests, The Mountains and the Ocean...

We recently caught up with Anne of Annie's Workroom to discover more about her eco-friendly business...

What made you decide to set up your own business?
Working with the environment around me and making led me to begin the workroom. It gives me an opportunity to use my traditional handskills to make objects and art, and to share these skills with others as a way of honouring our mixed heritages...

Did you know that products targeted towards women have the majority share of the market?

Regardless of why this is there are still plenty of small business making products and offering services designed for men.
Here is our Top 5 List of hints for how best to market your product to the male gender.

As a small business owner you are probably aware of, and perhaps even use yourself, marketing and sales buzzwords. Buzzwords or industry jargon are commonly thought of as the phrases or words that will ensure the success of your advertising or promotional material. 

That may have once been true but no longer works on today’s savvy consumers...

Networking events can seem as intimidating as a first date for
small business owners. Worrying about how you’re dressed, if there’s food in your teeth and what on earth you’re going to talk about will heighten any anxiety you’re feeling.

Here at the Handmade Exchange we know the feeling and offer nervous business owners our Top 5 hints to get you through the awkward phase and into successful business relationships. 

Reaching out to Generation Z can be daunting for a small
business owner. After all, this is a generation whose lives have been entirely connected through media technologies. Today's teenagers have even been dubbed the 'digital generation'.